Schedule

In-person conference registration opens and light breakfast to be provided.

Preconference opening to be provided by Dr. Laura Nichols, OPA President.

Presented by: Ruba El-Sayegh Join Ruba El-Sayegh, partner at Gowling WLG for a discussion on Canada’s privacy law landscape and how privacy obligations directly impact professional liability risk. Attendees will learn which federal and provincial privacy laws govern their practice and how to implement best practices to protect personal health information. The presentation will examine common privacy-related risks faced by psychologists, including how privacy breaches and complaints can lead to regulatory investigations or professional liability claims. The session will also review the new Information and Privacy Commissioner’s guidelines relating to the use of AI in your practice. Attendees will leave with practical guidance on privacy law compliance, best practices, and enforcement procedures. Please note this session is in-person and will not be livestreamed. Recordings will be made available approximately three weeks after the event.

Presented by: Sophie Nunnelly Artificial intelligence holds promise for psychological practice — from administrative tools to clinical decision-support. Yet, its use is outpacing the applicable legal and regulatory frameworks. This presentation examines AI’s promise and risks in practice, along with the current state of AI regulation in Ontario, from generally applicable laws to medical device regulation, and the professional standards that govern AI use in psychological practice. It will especially discuss key areas of legal exposure, such as informed consent obligations when AI is involved in service delivery, professional liability arising from erroneous AI-generated content, and the boundary between permissible decision-support and impermissible substitution of clinical judgment. Please note this session is in-person and will not be livestreamed. Recordings will be made available approximately three weeks after the event.

Presented by: Dr. Marta Maslej AI is rapidly transforming mental health care, with applications ranging from risk prediction and clinical decision support to documentation, triage, and even psychotherapy delivery. Advances in generative AI have been particularly influential, given the central role of language in mental health assessment, treatment, and documentation. These technologies offer opportunities to improve access and efficiency, but they raise important questions about quality, equity, and the future of patient-clinician interactions. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into clinical practice, distinguishing genuine opportunities from unwarranted hype will be essential to ensuring its responsible design, evaluation, and implementation. This talk will provide an overview of AI and its emerging role in mental health, drawing on research from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). It will explore how AI systems can inadvertently learn and perpetuate existing social and systemic biases, with implications for health equity. It will conclude by discussing how clinicians can thoughtfully navigate both the promise and the potential harms of AI, and what responsible implementation should look like with increasing applications being developed across all areas of mental health. Please note this session is in-person and will not be livestreamed. Recordings will be made available approximately three weeks after the event.